


the roadtrip

by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Exes, F/M, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 15:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18524221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merrymegtargaryen/pseuds/hipgrab
Summary: 'roadtrip au where we need to save gas money so we take a long, awkward, tension-filled car ride'





	the roadtrip

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a simple prompt fill on tumblr but I have no self control so...here it is.

“I am not sharing a car with her.”

“You have to.”

“I won’t.”

“The company will only pay for one car and they want you both to go to the conference.”

“I’ll drive my own car.”

“You don’t have a car.”

“I’ll rent one.”

“Ben.”

“Poe.”

“...”

“...fine. But I want to get paid time and a half.”

.

Ben is in a very bad mood. 

Working in the same office as his ex has been...a challenge, to say the least. They avoid each other as much as is humanly possible, and thankfully, everyone in the office knows about the breakup and has been pretty respectful of the distance they’re trying to keep. The only times they’re really in the same room are for meetings, and even then, they keep their eyes on the presentation or their laptops.

Which is why when Rey gets in the car, he’s surprised at how... _ different _ she looks. She’s uncharacteristically pale and even thinner than she used to be. He feels a surge of satisfaction that she, at least, doesn’t seem to be taking the breakup too well. 

“Well,” she mumbles, clicking her seatbelt into place. “Let’s do this.”

Ben sighs and puts the car in gear. 

.

They’re quiet for the first hour. Ben puts on NPR and Rey doesn’t protest, which gives him another surge of satisfaction; Rey  _ hates _ listening to anything that isn’t music in the car. NPR, podcasts, even commercials drive her crazy. He enjoys a lengthy report about how veganism is depleting almond plants and how the farmers who grow quinoa are no longer able to eat it because it’s in such high demand before Rey suddenly sits up. 

“Pull over.”

He glances at her. “The next rest area isn’t for fifteen--”

“Pull over. Here. Now.”

Unnerved by the urgency in her tone, he pulls over onto the shoulder. Rey pushes open the door and leans out, retching onto the grass. When she sits back up, she closes her eyes, leaning back against her seat.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine,” she says without opening her eyes. She closes the car door and wipes her mouth. “Alright, I think I’m done.”

Ben shakes his head, pulling back out onto the highway. “Late night?”

“No, just carsick. The radio station probably has something to do with it.”

He smiles despite himself. “Well, since NPR nauseates you so much, how about you pick the radio station?”

She perks up, leaning forward and reaching for the knob. “Thank god.” She finds a station that plays hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s and sits back, humming under her breath.

Ben decides to bear it. After all, she did let him listen to NPR for an hour without saying anything. He can be an adult. Just because he used to be in love with the woman beside him and just because she broke his heart doesn’t mean he can’t be a civil, mature adult. He can endure two more hours in the car with her.

_ And then three hours on the drive back tonight _ .

God, why didn’t Poe let him rent his own car?

.

After two hours on the road, Ben pulls over at a gas station to top off the tank. Rey goes inside to use the bathroom and comes out with crackers and Ginger Ale.

“Still sick?” he asks.

“Mm.” 

“Even though we’ve been listening to the dulcet tones of Rick Springfield?”

Her lips twitch in a near-smile. “You love Rick Springfield.”

“He had  _ one _ good song his entire career. Also, he’s a Republican.”

“True.”

She lets him put NPR back on for the last leg of the journey. He almost thinks about making a joke about it, but he sees her staring out the window, lost in thought, and decides not to say anything after all.

.

They’re nearly at the convention center when Rey sits up again. “Pull over.”

“This is really not a pull-over type of place--”

“I’m going to throw up in five seconds whether you pull over or not.”

Ben swings into an alley, ignoring the blare of the horn behind him as Rey throws open her door and retches for the second time that morning.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” she murmurs, closing the door. 

“We’re in stop-and-go traffic, you shouldn’t be carsick.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Ben.”

His heart stings. It’s the first time she’s said his name since they broke up. 

“Are you sure you don’t have a bug or something?”

“Or something,” she murmurs, looking out the window.

He sighs in frustration, maneuvering back into traffic. “You could’ve told me you were contagious  _ before _ getting in a car with me for three hours.”

“I don’t think it’s contagious.” 

“How do you know? You’ve been throwing up all morning--”

“All week, actually.”

“Jesus, Rey!” He makes the turn into the convention center and follows the trail of cars going into the parking garage. The radio statics out as they enter the enclosed space. He finds a spot and pulls in. Rey rushes to unbuckle her seatbelt. 

“Now I’m gonna get sick and it’s gonna be your fault--”

“It’s not contagious, Ben,” she says testily, getting out of the car.

He gets out too, slamming his door. “Why’s that?”

She fixes him with a bitter, angry look. “Because morning sickness isn’t contagious.”

She turns on her heel and marches for the convention center, leaving Ben standing dumbstruck behind her.

_ Morning sickness. _

_ She has morning sickness. _

_ She’s  _ **_pregnant_ ** _. _

He races after her, his long legs carrying him to her side. “You’re  _ pregnant _ ?”

Her stride becomes less certain. “I don’t know for sure, but…”

“But?” he presses, following her into the building.

“I’ve been throwing up all week and I haven’t had a period since...since before we broke up.” She pastes on a smile as they go up to the registration table; they pick up their nametags and brochures and then head in to meet the vendors. 

“Have you taken a test?” he asks in a low voice.

She shakes her head. “Not yet.”

“Why not?”

She looks up at him, pained. “Because I wanted to wait until after this conference. I didn’t want to be in a car with you for six hours if I knew I was...pregnant.”

_ Pregnant with your baby _ .

He swallows. “Rey--”

“Look, we’re not going to worry about it right now,” she says firmly. “The company sent us here to meet with clients and that’s what we’re going to do. The conference ends at five; we can talk about this then.” She moves past him, heading for one of the booths.

Ben wonders how she can be so calm about this. How she can go about her day not thinking about the fact that  _ their baby _ could be growing inside her right now. How is he supposed to win over clients knowing that his business partner could be the mother of his child? 

“Ben,” she says sternly. “Coming?”

What has Poe gotten them into?

.

Rey spends the rest of the day at perfect ease, meeting with clients and vendors and passing around her business card. Ben tries to keep up, but he’s so stunned by the whole thing that he can only mutely follow her, smiling and shaking hands when the occasion calls for it. 

“You’re acting weird,” Rey tells him over lunch in the convention center’s food court. 

“Gee, I wonder why,” he says sarcastically.

“Can you just hold it together for a few more hours?”

“No.”

“I’ve been holding it together all week, I think you can manage a few hours.”

And, well, she has a point there.

“We can leave early,” she relents. “Just a little early, though. Poe will kill us if we don’t bring in any new clients.”

“I think Poe might be understanding given the circumstances.”

“Are you seriously defending Poe right now?”

He winces. “Well, when you put it that way…” 

“Just a few more hours and then we can talk about it all you want.”

He takes a deep breath. “Okay.”

.

They meet with a few more clients, and Ben manages to pull it together long enough to sweet talk a few of them into taking his card and promising to set up a meeting. 

Finally, around 3:30, the conference begins to die down. Rey looks at Ben and nods. “Alright. Let’s find somewhere and talk.”

.

They find a T.G.I. Friday’s and get a booth. Rey orders fries and a Ginger Ale. Ben orders a beer. 

As soon as the server leaves, Ben turns to Rey.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” she agrees. 

“So...you’re pregnant.”

“Possibly.”

“Possibly,” he concedes. “How long have you...suspected?”

“About a week.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I  _ did _ tell you,” she says softly. “Though I was going to wait until after I took the actual test. What if this is just really bad PMS? No point worrying you for nothing.”

“I’d still  _ care _ ,” he says lamely.

“You hate my guts.”

He winces. “I don’t. I’m...pissed at you, but I don’t  _ hate _ you.”

“I kind of hate you,” she admits, resting her chin in her hand. “But I also still love you, so...I don’t know what to make of it.”

He swallows. “Oh.”

Their server brings them their drinks, and they wait until he’s gone to speak again.

“Why did you leave?” she whispers, her voice cracking and eyes growing bright.

Oh  _ fuck _ . He runs his hand through his hair. “Rey, we were pissed at each other, I needed some space--”

“You  _ left _ ,” she accuses, and tears start spilling down her face. “You  _ walked out _ on me and didn’t answer any of my calls or texts. You just. You abandoned me.”

“I didn’t abandon you,” he insists, but he feels guilt well up in him. “I just wanted to give us some space from each other.”

“I didn’t want that!” She swipes furiously at her eyes. “I wanted you to stay! And you  _ left _ .”

He wants to punch himself. Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid _ . 

Everyone’s abandoned Rey. It was a whole thing when they started dating; she told him she was in  therapy and working on coping, but that her worst fear is being alone, that the people she loves will abandon her the way her parents did. And Ben, her boyfriend, had abandoned her in the middle of a fight and gave no indication of coming back.

He’s an  _ idiot _ .

“I’m so sorry,” he says sincerely. “I was so pissed off I didn’t even think about...about what it would do to you.”

She looks out the window, wiping her eyes. “Yeah, well, maybe it’s for the best we broke up. Maybe I have too many issues to be in a relationship with someone--”

“Rey,” he says firmly. “You’re not the one with issues.”

“I broke up with you because I was afraid you’d abandon me for real next time. I didn’t want to give you the chance to hurt me again.” 

He closes his eyes. “I fucked up.”

“You did,” she agrees. “But I fucked up too.”

He reaches for her hand. “Can you give me a second chance?”

“That depends.” She takes a deep breath. “If I am pregnant...I’m going to keep the baby. With or without your support. I want a family, and I’ll raise the baby by myself if I have to, but...it would be nice if I had help.”

“I’ll do more than help,” he promises, hardly daring to believe his good luck. “Rey, I’ll take care of you and the baby, and I promise, I will never,  _ ever _ walk out on you again.”

She gives him a small smile. “Then let’s go take a test.”

.

They sit in the rental car in the gas station parking lot, holding hands as they watch the timer on Ben’s phone. 

“What if I’m not pregnant?” she wonders. 

“I mean, I could get right to work fixing that.”

She actually laughs out loud. “I’ve missed you,” she admits. “A whole hell of a lot.”

“I’ve missed you too.” He kisses her hand, his thumb stroking her knuckles. “More than you know.”

The timer goes off and they share a nervous, excited look.

“Ready?”

She nods, holding up the test.

It’s a little pink plus sign.

“Pregnant,” she whispers.

Ben kisses her hard, the way he’s been wanting to kiss her for the last two months. She kisses him back--until she pulls back and wrenches open the car door to throw up again. He rubs her back, murmuring soothing noises. She’s pregnant. She’s  _ pregnant _ . 

He is suddenly grateful that Poe forced them to go on this roadtrip. 


End file.
